The Real Texas
I’ve been to Texas before if you count Austin. My Austin friends have always told me ‘Austin is a blue spot in the red state of Texas.’
So, as I headed out to a 10 day trip to West Texas, I did so with trepidation.
I expected to encounter a conservative, gun-toting, Trump-supporting blue-collar world. What I encountered was very different.
From Abilene to Lubbock and beyond — two things that were the most prevalent in our thousand-mile road trip.
We drove for days — extraordinarily long stretches of roads with noting for miles and miles. The only sight to see, windmills. Massive fields of windmills — many where oil fields used to be.
I found myself thinking about the anti-immigrant activists who have talked about America being ‘full’. They’ve never been to Texas, which is as far from ‘full’ as anyplace I’ve ever been.
In all of the places we stayed, all of the places we stopped for a meal, or a historical mile marker — we found people who were happy to talk, concerned about the country, and hardly supporters of the current occupant of the White House.
The other thing I found myself thinking about — as we drove from one Texas town to another, was just how much of Texas is Mexican. Mexican restaurants, Mexican faces, Spanish language. Warm, and welcoming… happy to share generous plates of Tacos, Enchilada, Refried Beans, Guacamole. Some foods simple, others more complicated like green chile stew, carne adovada, carne seca — but all delicious. Then, as we crossed from West Texas to New Mexico the landscape, climate and culture changed.
Principal industries of New Mexico it turns out are agriculture, mining, lumbering, gas and oil production, and recreation. Less than 4 percent of the State’s area is under cultivation, and about one-third of this area is irrigated. Traveling along the Rio Grande — the sheer scale and majesty of the river is breathtaking.
In our journey — not a single discussion of “illegal aliens”, unless you count our brief stop in Roswell. So, not that kind of ‘aliens.’
From West Texas to New Mexico — not a single Trump sign. Not a single MAGA hat. Just one sign by the side of the road — hand-painted on the side of a barn — “Impeach.”
